Clayton Cosgrove
Law and Order Spokesperson
MP for Waimakariri

20 October 2009 Media Statement

Labour moves to toughen up National’s boy racer bill

Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove has tabled an amendment to the Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill making it compulsory to confiscate a vehicle permanently after two street racing offences within four years no matter who owns the vehicle.

“The Judith Collins bill is big on talk in terms of crushing cars, but it actually misses a great opportunity in terms of penalising persistent offenders,” Clayton Cosgrove says.

“Labour has said all along it welcomes the Bill’s provision that closes a loophole in the existing legislation by allowing a vehicle owned by a third party to be confiscated.

“That’s good, but this advance is undermined by making confiscation a discretionary matter for the court for the third-party owned vehicles. That’s not closing a loophole, that’s leaving a loophole wide open,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

"Mandatory confiscation should come into effect after two offences within four years, whether or not the boy racer theoretically owns the vehicle or not. The third party owner would be alerted on the first offence that the next time the car is used to do a burnout or a similar offence, then the car will be permanently seized.

“The Collins bill is not about making the law tougher on boy racers. It is about a new clause that allows boy racer cars to be crushed on a third offence. Labour does not support car crushing because innocent taxpayers will end up paying.

“You don’t need the crushing clause --- which is all about creating a photo opportunity for Judith Collins some time in the future --- if the car has already been permanently confiscated after two offences. Crushing may be good for one politician’s ego, but by giving boy racers a third chance, it perpetuates the problem.

“What communities under siege from boy racers need is not egotistical boasting from the minister, but tough action from the courts in enforcing confiscation.”

The supplementary order paper can be viewed at:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/sop/members/2009/0073/latest/whole.html#dlm2456201

ENDS

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